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By: Stephen Williams

BELMONT, N.C. – In the first road games of the season, the Columbus State University softball team picked up a 9-0 win over Belmont Abbey before darkness called the second game tied at 9. The games were played at Crusader Field.
 
"We got a really good pitching performance from Darby (Demarest) in game one," head coach Brad Huskisson said. "It was great to see the girls battle in game two. It was just unfortunate that we weren't able to finish the game."
 
Columbus State will wrap up its weekend road trip with a doubleheader at Pfeiffer on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
 
Game One
 
Although the final score doesn't indicate it, Saturday's opening game was a pitcher's duel until the final inning.
 
Columbus State (7-4-1) plated the game's first run on a RBI single from Kia Smith that scored McKenzie Fagioli in the top of the first inning.
 
From there, the two teams were scoreless over the next five and a half innings.
 
Darby Demarest stole the show in the circle for the Lady Cougars. After allowing a one-out single in the second, the sophomore did not give up another hit the rest of the way.
 
With the game still 1-0 heading into the seventh, the CSU offense finally gave its starting pitcher some breathing room. Mary Horne scampered home on a wild pitch for the first run of the inning and Calli Star broke the game open with a two-run double.
 
CSU was far from done however. Elizabeth Perdue drew a bases loaded walk before Kayleigh Briant brought home two with a single and Savanna Turvy and Brittany Mitchell picked up run-scoring singles.
 
The Lady Cougars plated eight runs in the inning before Demarest closed it out in the bottom half.
 
Demarest (2-2) allowed just one hit in the game, striking out five. Only four Crusaders reached base.
 
Star and Briant each had two-hit games for CSU, while six different Lady Cougars drove in at least one run.
 
Game Two
 
The second half of the doubleheader got off to a rocky start as Belmont Abbey (2-8-2) put up seven runs in the bottom of the first inning.
 
The Lady Cougars answered back with two runs in the second when the Crusaders got sloppy. Perdue scored on an error and Briant came home on a wild pitch.
 
A run-scoring single added to Belmont Abbey's lead in the bottom half of the inning, setting the stage for a Lady Cougar rally.
 
Columbus State scored four times in the fourth and three more times in the fifth. Lee Anne Rees and Star each tallied RBIs before Fagioli singled home two runs. In the fifth, Keeli Waugh flipped the game around with a bases-clearing double that put CSU in front 9-8.
 
With darkness setting in, BAC tied the game with two outs in the fifth. The game was then called, handing a tie to both teams.
 
Waugh went 2-for-4 in the second game to lead the Lady Cougars. Perdue scored three runs.